


great hair guys

by Crydamoure



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M, comics verse but like. it could sort of work as dceu if u squint i kept appearances vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:47:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crydamoure/pseuds/Crydamoure
Summary: hal and arthur at some parties, theres wine and hijinks ensue! written as a xmas gift for my gf.





	1. first night

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRYSLER LEO ♥

The first time it happened, it was an accident. In a way. 

Parties at the Watchtower were infamous for being either completely disastrous or completely awkward. Depended on who showed up.

The first time it happened, the entire original Justice League team was there (with the exception of Batman, of course). 

Clark was there, nodding at Diana with a smile. Barry was there, huddled in a corner and typing something at his phone, his thumbs moving so fast they turned into a red blur. Victor was there, picking out something to eat. And Arthur was there, trying to listen to Diana despite his mind being stuck in Atlantis. 

And, most importantly, Hal was there.

Except, back then, it did not feel important at all. Annoying, maybe.

"Heyyyy." Hal squeezed himself between Clark and Diana, looping arms around them both. "The Original Eight, what's up?"

"It's just seven. Bruce couldn't make it." Clark immediately slipped into his understanding parent-mode complete with a tiny smile and smooth forehead. He did that whenever Hal showed up. Diana was less understanding, she carefully unglued Hal's hand from her shoulder and let it drop like a dead fish. Hal didn't even notice.

"Pfshhshshh." Hal clearly had a drink or two already. Maybe three. Or four. "Who cares about Bruce?" He pointed at Clark, interrupting him. "Rhetorical question. Don't answer. Besides, he never joins us for these kickass parties with the excellent Themiscyrian wine."

"You're not that frequent of a visitor either." Diana had a smile on her now too, either from the wine comment or from the way Hal just haphazardly hung from Clark's broad frame. 

"Well, at least I have an excuse, I'm guarding an entire space sector, what's that guy doing? Just one city?" Hal snorted theatrically and Arthur almost smiled as well. 

It was a bit laughable, he had to admit to himself. All of them had so many different responsibilities - Clark with the entire planet on his shoulders, Diana representing the Ancient world... and he, with the seven seas under his care. If _he_ managed to slip out from time to time, surely Batman could have done it as well. If anything it should be the King of Atlantis himself rejecting the invitations to social gatherings because of his duties. Arthur looked out of the glass panels at the planet below the Watchtower, distracted gaze sliding off the brown landmass to stick to the blueness he abandoned for tonight. They can handle one night without him, he knows that. But the guilt was still there. 

"Arthur?" Clark's deep tone woke him up and he jerked his head back to them. 

"Sorry, I was--"

"Thinking about your duties back at Atlantis?" Diana, diplomatic as always. Arthur winced.

"Yes, there's a weapons deal happening between two kingdoms and--"

"Hey. Hey Arthur." Hal perked up with a grin on his face that didn't bode well. "You should just--" Snort. 

Here it comes, thought Arthur.

**_"--clam down."_ **

As Hal errupted into a fit of laughter, Arthur just stood there, feeling the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. 

"Nice to know I can't escape fish jokes even in space." He crossed his arms, hoping he sounded sarcastic enough to not look tired. "Wouldn't be a Justice League meeting without Jordan attempting to be funny."

"I don't have to attempt, I am funny." Hal patted at his own chest, deattaching himself from Clark (who seemed relieved). "Forgive me for trying to make you laugh, dude." He was standing in front of Arthur now, brushing the brown cowlick out of his masked eyes in a poor attempt to make himself come off as sober. Sober-ish. 

"You always come to these and just listen, never talk. What's the point? You might as well go visit Bats in Gotham." All of the sudden, there was odd hostility in Hal's voice, something he usually reserved for Bruce only. 

"Hal." First warning, from Diana. 

"No, no, hold on, like. I know he's a king of mermaids and all that, but would it kill him to act like we're buddies? Like, I certainly don't have any royal blood in me, I mean, I hooked up with some royals but--"

"Hal." Second warning, from Clark. 

"Dude, I'm just saying." Hal ignored both of them and grabbed Arthur's shoulders, staring into his eyes. "Chill the fuck out. Have a fucking drink. Have some fun."

"Jordan." The final warning came from Arthur himself, who slapped both arms away from himself. They stared at each other for a moment, Arthur's eyes steeled and Hal's squinted in anger.

"Whatever." Hal finally put his palms up in surrender and turned away, no doubt to look for more wine. 

Arthur had better things to do than worry about others' opinion. That's what he always thought. He didn't have time to get upset over the constant underestimation of his strength from his teammates. He didn't have time to seriously consider what Atlanteans truly thought of him and his "tainted" blood. Arthur was of the opinion that he should always just focus on doing his job, the best he can. What others thought of him did not matter in the slightest. 

And yet he yelled after Hal.

"What's your problem with me?" For some reason, Arthur didn't bite this question down. Maybe the unrestrained honesty pouring out of Jordan's mouth got to him. Maybe it was the stress of leaving Atlantis behind on an important night. Maybe, maybe. 

Hal stopped and turned his head.

"I don't have a fucking problem with you." He shrugged, too lackadaisically to not be telling the truth. "I barely get to see Earth, you're here all the time but it's like you're not. Simple as that."

And just like that, he was off to pour himself more wine. 

Simple? His answer just raised more questions in Arthur's brain. He looked at Clark and Diana both and shook his head. _Jordan, right?_

 _Jordan, right?_ agreed Diana's slow though troubled nod.

 _Jordan, right?_ said Clark's apologizing smile. 

The rest of the night was uneventful, though marked by a bitter aftertaste. Every time Arthur opened his mouth to add some remark to Diana and Clark's conversation, it felt as if the tried to prove Jordan wrong-- even though he had nothing to prove, as he kept reminding himself. His own voice suddenly sounded so insincere to him. Forced. Empty. Words uttered just to say something because silence would be a proof that Hal was right about him. And he couldn't have that.

And as the third hour of dull pleasantries passed, he caught a stray thought that forced him to excuse himself and wander off to the table with wine goblets. 

_This is just another set of duties._

Two worlds of duties, king duties in Atlantis and human duties on the surface. Pretending to understand people he didn't grow up with and pretending to like people he worked with-- just because they were human. Both a burden. He didn't show up here for fun, he thought as he sat down on some futuristic white sofa away from everyone. He showed up here for diplomatic reasons, like a king. 

And it took Jordan's slurred drunktalk to make Arthur realize that. 

Jordan's words made him realize that he has grown beyond the work-relationships within the League and now all that was left behind was obligations. Showing up from time to time to show Superman and Wonder Woman that they can still count on him, should the need arise. Listen to their never-ending talks, entertain the Flash and Cyborg with some attention and move on. Go back to Atlantis tired. There was no camaderie. This was just more work and Arthur somehow convinced himself otherwise.

"Ugh." Not a very royal sound left his lips before he let them touch the Themyscirian wine. 

"Yep." Just like that, Hal was back in his personal space, somehow more drunk than before. His limbs flailed like stringless puppet arms as he collapsed onto the sofa and let his head hang from its back. 

Just what he needed. Arthur looked around, hoping to see a red blur zipping to his rescue.

"Where's Barry?" Arthur didn't even sound angry-- more like resigned. "He usually babysits you when you get too messed up."

"Girlfriend troubles." Hal slurred out. "Went back to Central City."

"Ah." Arthur drank another sip of wine. It really was good -- it tasted like it somehow soaked in all of Themiscyra's sun. Maybe he should have started the night with it.

They sat in silence for a while, Hal dying and Arthur watching Clark and Victor talk about something presumabely interesting, judging from their animated gestures. 

"Hey dude." He could barely hear Hal because of the way his head hanged from the backrest of their sofa but his tone was somber enough to let Arthur guess what was coming.

"Don't." 

"I just wanted to say 'msorry for talking shit."

Arthur sighed through his nose. 

"You're right. I come here out of a sense of obligation, nothing more. You were right." He shrugged with one shoulder.

Hal snickered while lifting up his heavy, wine-filled head. Arthur could almost hear it sloshing inside his skull.

"I don't hear that very often. Me right." Hal murmured with a insufferingly pleased note in his voice.

Arthur didn't respond, choosing to have another sun-infused taste of wine. 

"Dude, at least you're trying." Hal's head flopped back to its previous position. 

If I don't show up here, I'm gonna lose my last connection to the surface world, thought Arthur but didn't say that. Too complicated for himself, let alone some drunk jet pilot on the couch. 

"At least you're fucking trying." Hal concluded his train of thought, suddenly sounding like he wasn't talking to Arthur anymore. 

Another moment of silence Arthur absolutely loathed but resigned himself to. It seemed like a fitting fate after the revelation of the evening. Their sofa turned out to be too close to the table with the wine because he could grab another clay goblet by just reaching over the armrest. 

"Arthur. Arrrthur. Arthuuurrrr." Hal suddenly slurred out his name a couple of times, rolling it around his tongue and teeth.

"What are you doing." Arthur's throat burned after a couple of hasty wine gulps.

"I never call you by 'Arthur'..... jus' like....... Fishboy or whatever. Jokes. Not Arthurrrrrrr.... Art. Arthur." Hal grinned under his domino mask. "'sgood name."

"Better than Harold." Arthur didn't even look at him as he murmured into his cup.

Hal blinked at him, something clicked in his brain and suddenly he barked out his loudest laugh of the night.

 

 

Morning came out of nowhere. At least, Arthur assumed it was morning. Hard to tell in the black void of space. In any case, something made his biological clock to ring the alarm and raise his dry eyelids. Arthur's head pounded and hummed like the crashing ocean waves and he only had the Themiscyrian wine-sun to blame. Looking around he deduced he was currently in a bed of one of the souless guest JL quarters, available for anyone who wished to recover after a rough night duty and such. Arthur winced. He should have been back in Atlantis already, looking over the details of the weapons arragement and everything else that happened when he was gone. Not entertaining... superhero-sleepovers. 

He allowed himself for a moment of luxury and let out a sigh before stirring to move.

Arthur attempted to sit up but before he could do that, he suddenly became aware of a certain warm weight around his waist. An arm-shaped weight. It had to be an arm.

There was someone else in this bed with him.

My life is not a romantic comedy, he reminded himself before lifting the sheets. It will not be Jordan, it's impossible for me to get drunk enough to sleep and/or possibly have sex with Hal Jordan. 

He held his breath as he pinched the sheets, as carefully as possible. 

It won't be Jordan.

It was.

It absolutely was Hal Jordan who slept soundly next to him, chest bared and face pressed into mattress below the pillows. 

Arthur stared at the unmistakeble mess of brown hair and dropped the sheets. Before he could stop himself, he lifted them up again as if he expected Hal to be gone just because he was out of his sight for a second.

He was still there, drooling on the sheets with an expression that was more pleased than it had the right to, given that he was about to experience the full intensity of a hungover not meant for mortal men. 

Arthur just stared at him with a blank expression, chest raising up and down. He fought Black Manta and hasn't screamed once, no matter how intense his injuries were. He challenged his half-brother to many, many royal duels and never screamed once. He defeated sea monsters bigger than a mountain and did not scream either. 

But he felt like screaming in this moment right now. 

How did this happen-- he just remembers another awkward conversation with Hal at that stupid white, futuristic sofa. How does that lead to sleeping together, even with the help of really potent wine? It just didn't seem possible at all and yet-- oh, he moved.

Hal opened his eyes and saw Arthur hovering above him. Arthur watched his brows furrow, eyes squint really hard, lips vocalize a silent question-- and then a really loud "Fuck!".


	2. second night

The second time it happened, it was sort of an accident.

That first morning (which turned out to be more of an afternoon) was supposed to mark the end of their relationship, whatever it was. Hal tumbled out of bed remarkably well for someone dying from thirst and headache, clutched covers to his waist and hissed out: "Not a word to anyone about this."

"I'm--" Arthur was, for the lack of a better word, flabbergasted. "I'm-- you're not even questioning this?"

"Dude." Said Hal in a tone that somehow meant both 'I was drunk.' and 'This isn't a new situation to me'. 

Arthur opened mouth and closed it after failing to find words he could respond with. Hal scrambled around to find his clothes, scattered all over the room. Arthur watched for a second before closing eyes and letting his head fall and hit the wall behind it. His self-preservation instinct was already rushing to placate him-- they're both adults, they can handle this in an adult manner. Keeping it a secret obviously seemed like the best solution. Arthur certainly didn't want to give the rest of the League more ammunition for their gossip and jokes. 

"I'm out, wait for at least twenty minutes before leaving the room in case someone is still here." Hal was mostly dressed but clearly, he did not have to worry about the missing belt or boots because the Green Lantern suit just materialized out of nowhere, covering him up. The only hint of something being amiss was his disheveled brown hair, sticking in every direction possible. 

"Wait-- are you angry at me?" Arthur squinted eyes at his command. If anything, he should be mad at Hal.

A masked eye-roll was Hal's first response. "I'm not. Okay? My head's killing me. That's all. And just, uh-- we have a hate-friendship thing going on and if everybody else learned about this--"

"They'd make fun of you." Arthur didn't even know he could make his voice so deadpanned.

"Yeah, pretty much!" The irony was lost on Hal. He floated towards the doors and hesitated before exiting. "Look-- forget about it, alright? Just forget."

And just like that, he was gone. 

Arthur stared blankly at the closing doors. He didn't even remember anything about the last night, except for some details. 

And that's why next time he went to another Justice League meeting and saw Hal, his face didn't even budge. It was one of the annual parties, something about the anniversary of the League and such, all current and ex-members invited. Watchtower was filled to the brim with colorful costumes and proud individuals who were happy to see the League survive another year despite the effort of its enemies. And for the most part, Arthur almost felt the same way. Maybe because with such a big crowd, he didn't have to really interact with anyone.

And definitely not with Hal who was chatting with Jessica and Simon near the snack table, no doubt talking about some Green Lantern issues. 

"Arthur!" Ollie was making his way to him now. "Did you see? Hal is back! After seven months, can you believe it? One day he's just gonna stay in space forever and forget how to speak English."

"Ah-- yes, I saw. Seven months, that's--" Before even Arthur could voice surprise at how long it has been, Ollie was already beckoning at Hal to come over. Naturally, the second Hal spotted Ollie, his good, good friend, his entire face lit up and he zipped over with so much excitement that Arthur almost felt guilty when it wilted the second Hal saw him standing next to Ollie. 

"Hey Ollie!" A pause for a strategic cough. "Hey Arthur."

"Hey." 

Ollie looked at Arthur. Then at Hal. Arthur. Hal. If he noticed anything, he chose not to comment. 

"Another year, eh?" Ollie's valiant effort to combat the sudden awkwardness by prompting some conversation was for nothing. Both Hal and Arthur stared at each other to let the other one speak first but then neither of them did. Finally, Arthur shrugged.

"Yes. Another year." This was a normal thing to say. Normal people spoke like this. Yes.

"Yes." Hal agreed with a nod, falling silent again.

"Oh my god. What's wrong with you two?" Ollie surrendered quickly, unwilling to pretend like the heavy atmosphere between the two of them wasn't sucking the life out of him. "Did you two have one of those superhero fights? Harold Jordan, did you start beef with somebody from the League without me?" Ollie even spread his arms questioningly, sounding too offended and left out to be joking. Arthur blinked at him, almost forgetting about the current situation.

"No!" Hal shook his head. "I mean-- yeah, okay we did fight, about uh--"

"Hal thought it was a good idea to dump some giant alien starfish in an Earth ocean." Arthur interrupted.

"Oh shit, Hal, you gotta think shit like that through. You're messing with ecosystems and evolution." Ollie swallowed the lie in an instant which spoke volumes of scenarios typically associated with Hal.

"It was... a spur of the moment decision." Hal was glaring directly at Arthur while gritting out his words.

"We already forgot all about it." Arthur met his gaze, matching its weird intensity.

"And it was super late at night."

"A mistake."

"It was so stupid we didn't even tell anyone."

"Yes, very embarrassing."

"Wait. Who won though?" Ollie asked, reminding them of his presence right next to them.

"What?" Hal glanced at him. 

"Who won the superhero fight?" Ollie repeated the question, clearly used to Hal's absentmindedness. 

Hal turned his head back to Arthur and Arthur could just see the way Ollie's innocent question got reformulated inside his head. I got you now, thought Arthur, a hint of a smile creeping onto his lips. A hint that went unnoticed by Hal who was already opening his mouth to frantically say something, anything.

But Arthur was faster. 

"I did. I came out on top."

Hal just stared at him. And then snorted. And again. And in a blink, Hal was muffling his continuous snorts with both palms clasped over his mouth, trying his hardest to choke down the usual barking laughter.

"Oookay." Ollie looked at snorting Hal and Arthur who was smiling in a really weird, satisfied way. "I need two beers before I even attempt to crack this. Give me a sec." 

Arthur watched him walk away to the nearest table with drinks until his attention was summoned back by a light punch to his shoulder.

"You fucker." Hal sounded proud. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Arthur was smiling again, this time with a politely innocent twist in his lip corners. 

"Yeah, yeah." Hal shook his head and stared at him in a weird evaluative way. And then he shrugged. "I guess even important kings get to joke from time to time." 

Arthur just let his mouth twitch in an even wider smile and then drop again as he thought of what to say now. Maybe another light remark (oh yes, there's a special decree that lets me joke twice a year) or maybe a question (how have you been? seven months IS a long time now that I think about it. hey, did you ever wonder how that night happened? or better, why?). But before he could decide on anything, Ollie came back with some familiar clay goblets nesting in his arms. 

"You fellas ever heard of Themiscyrian wine before?"

 

 

Before Arthur knew it, he was drunk again. And back at the hated futuristic sofa with Hal and Ollie, who turned out to be less... annoying than his reputation would suggest. Ollie actually raised some good points about the environment in discussion with Arthur before passing out mid-sentence between them. Hal laughed and so did Arthur, warmed up by that cursed wine made out of the sun. 

"I need to tell Diana to stop bringing this..." Arthur wheezed-- when even was the last time he wheezed? He couldn't remember. 

"Dude." Hal slurred out his protest.

In this very moment, Diana actually walked past them and looked at them with a tiny smile. Probably the type of smile a parent has when their kids finally get along. 

Ollie stirred between them and let out a groan. Arthur's gaze met Hal's unmasked eyes and they both snorted at the same time. 

"Looks like some people can't handle their Amazon wine." Hal elbowed Ollie with a teasing smugness in his voice. Ollie didn't even answer, already too far gone. 

"Mhm." Agreed Arthur. 

They both held up their goblets and clinked them in unison. 

"Hal." Arthur stopped himself before taking another sip of the wine. Hal hummed a questioning noise into his goblet and a bit of redness gathered in the corners of his mouth.

The noises of the party were muffled as if all of those people were so far away and not right next to them. 

"Why do you think we did it? I hate you, you hate me. So why?" Arthur asked. 

With his face still buried in the goblet, Hal responded with an annoyed sound. 

"Maybe 'cause we're both just fucking lonely on Earth, I don't know, dude." _'Don't make me think about this'_ was almost attached to the end of that sentence. "Besides," He pointed at Arthur with his cup, spilling some onto Ollie's impressively green tights. "I don't hate you. You're just... you."

Hal seemed to have a talent for saying baffling words. Or maybe just really honest ones and after years of dealing with Atlantean politicians, Arthur lost the ability to tell those two apart. 

"Lonely?" He repeated after him. Hal was always surrounded by people wherever he went, both Barry and Ollie so were smitten with him they followed his every step. At least that's what it looked like to Arthur. He didn't have anyone like that on the surface world, all he had was Mera (and not even right now).

"Fuck, you know what I mean..." Hal bristled at having to spell it out for Arthur, sinking lower into the couch. "Like, yeah, there are people but they don't get it, you know? They've lived their entire life here and they don't even know."

Arthur could only stare at him. 

"There's a whole different world out there." Hal blindly pointed at the glass panels behind them, towards the void between stars. "And at this point, I fit better there than here. And I hate that but what can ya do? It's a job. Responsibility. I come up with so many different excuses not to come back to Earth, like, I'd be happy to just keep flying and not have to come back here but if I did, if I kept flying--"

"--you'd abandon your roots. Family." Arthur finished his sentence for him in a quiet tone. 

This was too serious of a conversation to have while they were both slowed down by wine swirling and spilling inside them. Too difficult to talk these matters with unwanted blushes creeping up on their faces and liquid, unfocused gazes.

"And like, I keep thinking you're going through the same thing. Maybe it is better under the sea or whatever the fuck Sebastian said. And maybe I'm projecting but when I see you up here, just fully checked out-- I don't know, dude. You're trying, I guess."

"And you keep running." Arthur felt his lips move on their own.

Hal snorted but this time he didn't sound amused in any way. 

"You keep trying and I keep running." He just agreed. 

They both fell silent for a while. Arthur stared at the floor in the gap between his boots, Hal decided to find the most comfortable position on the couch despite Ollie still sleeping between the two of them. 

Was it all it took? That first accidental night? Just some honest words from a man without a filter? Arthur couldn't deny that every single sentence Hal uttered made him painfully aware of his own conflicts, but was that all? Just some mutual understanding? This was only the second time in Arthur's life they shared a conversation on their own. The entire time Arthur was in the Justice League, he saw Hal as a strong teammate, but ultimately too reckless, too wild to consider him seriously in any way. And the constant fish jokes did not help his image as well. But now, just a couple of sentences and Arthur could see Hal in a completely different light -- because he himself was in the same kind of situation. Trapped between worlds.

"Hey." Hal waved his gloved palm in front of Arthur's eyes. "Stop looking depressed. Seriously, I'm supposed to make people laugh or smile with endearment."

Arthur managed a half-smile. Because he asked.

"Better." Hal hummed. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Are you..." Arthur furrowed brows and an unexpected spark of excitement nested itself in his stomach. 

Hal let out another annoyed noise at having to explain himself. 

"Yeah. Yeah. I mean it happened once, damage's been done already, so like? Fuck it, right?"

"Yeah, fuck it." Ollie murmured between them, waking up for a brief second before slipping back into the wine-induced coma. They glanced at each other before snorting. 

And minutes later, in a dark corridor away from everyone, Hal showed Arthur that it wasn't just about the wine and the shared isolation. The way he pushed himself into his arms, the way he hungrily sucked at his neck and then lips, the pure abandon demonstrated why the first time happened the way it did. Arthur found himself unable to even try to resist Hal's intensity. It was different and it was a good different. 

"How do you undo your tights?" Hal's bared fingers traced the Atlantean symbol on his belt. 

"They're not tights, it's a scale armor." Arthur breathed into the brown hair, pushing Hal's head down into his chest, taking advantage of the slight height difference between them.

"Whatever. I can't suck your dick through it so--"

Arthur didn't even answer, he couldn't. He suddenly forgot every single word in existence. He just grabbed Hal by the shirt, mouths mashing together, as he slowly backed up to find the keypad for the nearest guest room.


	3. third night

The third time it happened, it wasn't an accident.

"Dude. Bro." Hal woke him up that second morning (which also turned out to be an afternoon). 

"Mm." Arthur rolled away from his _dudes_ and his _brahs_. At least this time it wasn't a surprise, he was expecting to wake up next to Hal. They definitely drank less, though the hangover still lingered like a sunburn on his brain. 

Hal stirred restlessly before collapsing back on the bed next to Arthur. Oh, that's weird. Sharing a bed like that. 

"Are we like doing this?" Hal asked, for some reason sounding less plagued by dehydration than Artur was right now. 

"Doing what..." Arthur started regretting not pretending to be still asleep.

"I don't know. Hooking up." 

"Hal..." Arthur craned his neck to look at him with one tired eye.

"No, you're right." Hal's words sped ahead of Arthur's thoughts before they could even formulate. "Just two accidents in a row."

There was a weird sense of agitated insecurity in the way Hal started to push away covers. Arthur looked at his moving hands and then at Hal's mouth which has formed into a line. 

"Look." Arthur was sitting up too, albeit much slower. "Hal. Hal--" He grabbed his hand to stop him from moving further and to make him listen. Hal's brown eyes darted to their joined palms and then to Arthur's face. 

"Do you..." Arthur started slowly, diplomatically choosing his words. Like a king. "Do you want to meet up? Just us two, nobody else. On Earth. This time no alcohol."

At first, Hal squinted eyes. Then glanced away from Arthur to the side. Finally, his gaze rolled down to the floor. 

"No." Finally, he spoke.

"No?" Repeated Arthur, surprised.

Still not looking at him, Hal rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, like... maybe we shouldn't even give it a try. You're a busy guy, you look great, seriously, and you fuck like a king but yeah like I said. You're busy with actual duties. I'm just." He executed a sequence of chaotic hand waves to illustrate his next point. "A mess." 

"Maybe you can let me be the judge of that." Arthur was still pinning down his other palm to the sheets, staring into Hal's brown eyes.

Hal finally met his gaze and when he did, he just let out a frustrated noise and collapsed back on the bed in surrender. "What the fuck happened? When did I start finding Aquaman hot? The fuck? When?"

Arthur snorted. 

"A real tragedy." He replied flatly. "Meanwhile, I slept not once but _twice_ with League's resident SoCal bro."

"Could be worse. Could be Batman." Hal's tone suggested that there truly was no fate worse than even being in one room together with Bruce. He exhaled through his nose and sat up again, moving heavily like a man who was about to commit the hardest choice of his life. "Look. I'll text you next time I'm on Earth. Wait, do they have phones in Atlantis?" He asked, tilting his head and furrowing brows.

"...We do. And I'm not going to wait another seven months before you decide to show up. Two weeks." Arthur finally released the pinned hand. He still remembered what Hal said about running away from the world that was supposed to feel like home. "I'm giving you two weeks. Ask for a day off, make it happen. Then come back and we go out."

Hal winced visibly. "Yeah. Okay. I can do that. So I can go out on a date with Aquaman." And then he snorted to himself. 

"Could be worse. Could be Batman."

Hal just grinned at him.

 

 

 

 

Two weeks later, Hal was back on Earth, like he promised. 

Arthur watched him shuffle over to the bench where he was sitting, making his way through the boardwalk crowd. He was wearing his usual outfit, complete with the leather pilot jacket-- and come to think of it, Arthur couldn't recall ever seeing him without it. Hal plodded over to his bench and sat down. 

"So."

"So." Arthur replied with a smile. 

"I'm here." Hal sniffed harshly, reclining back. "For the date."

"I've noticed." 

Hal turned to look at him with squinted eyes, clearly unappreciative of Arthur's little, pleased remarks.

"So where are we going?"

"I don't care. The only rule I have is no alcohol." Arthur watched Hal's face drop. "I need to make sure that this... isn't just the two of us having sad talks when drunk and then going to bed together."

Hal snorted, stuffing hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. 

"You overthink shit."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. I have great hair and you have great hair-- sometimes it's all it takes. So we're just two good-looking guys hooking up."

"Because of their great hair." Arthur raised his eyebrow, fighting the urge to smile as not to give Hal the victory.

"Yeah, keep up!" Hal was standing now and to somehow prove his point he reached out with his hand to slick back Arthur's hair. Arthur shook his head and grabbed his wrist, lifting himself up from the bench and almost slamming Hal back onto the seat (an act Hal seemed to find really funny for some reason). 

They walked together for a while, throwing out ideas on where they could go and eventually Hal just dragged Arthur to the nearest In-N-Out (after Arthur promised to pay).

"Did you forget your wallet?" Arthur asked over the fries and watched Hal flash him the most disarming smile he's ever seen in his life.

"No... I just don't have one."

Arthur stared at him incredulously. He wanted to ask so many questions but when he considered all of the possible answers Hal could have given him, he decided he wasn't ready for that kind of migraine. And Hal kept smiling his smile of a guy who knows he's the most charming human being on this planet. 

They ate and they chatted. Hal explained more about Green Lantern Corps, drawing a metaphorical galaxy map in the air, his fry marking tiny invisible planets between both of them. And Arthur listened, watched him talk chaotically with glistening eyes and a mouth full of food and he could feel that Jordan-certified charm working. There was just a certain way about Hal - the way he moved (fast, restless), the way he talked (he could string together most random words and Arthur would nod) and the way he looked (like he just walked off a TV set for a cologne commercial). And it's so strange that he's never noticed that before, but maybe it's because they've never really given each other a chance.

"I feel like you have dickish moments." Hal said at one point when they were walking down to the beach, the sun suddenly gone and replaced by dark sky and bright dots. 

Arthur exhaled through his nose as he strolled next to him, their elbows occasionally bumping against each other. "If I do, it's not on purpose."

"Yeah, like. The League will be discussing some battle plan or whatever and you'll say something with such a haughty voice, it's unreal, bro." Hal cleared his throat and did an apparent impression of Arthur's dickish moment: " _WE must consider the_ _CIVILIANS_ _first if we want to launch a frontal attack!_ "

Arthur blinked at him, letting Hal pass him by on the tiny wooden stairs leading to the sand and crashing waves. 

"I don't think I'm wrong when I say that."

"You're not wrong, dude. It's just the way you say it. You spend too much time talking to your councils or whatever." Hal's combat boots were leaving heavy marks in the wet sand as he marched towards the ocean. Arthur let out a short 'hm' sound. 

"Maybe I should watch that." The last thing he wants in his life to completely switch to his king-politician mode and constantly speak like he's in a one-man, underwater Hamlet production. 

Hal shrugged as he simply sat down in the sand, close enough to the water that the very tips of sleeping waves could touch his boots. 

"Or maybe don't. I like watching Bats suffer as he looks for a well-worded explanation." He sniffed as Arthur sat down next to him. 

The beach as their final destination was a cute choice. Sea for him and starry sky for Hal. Arthur stared at the horizon where the two inky masses met. Cute. Or considerate. And poetic in a way. Though, he wasn't going to say that out loud in case Hal just stares at him and accuses him of overthinking things again. 

"So, what's at the bottom of the ocean?" Asked Hal, digging his palm into cold sand. 

"Lots of things. Ruins. Forgotten sea monsters. Some Atlantean tribes. Nothing." 

"They say we've explored more of space than we did of the oceans. I read that on a cereal box."

"Maybe it's for the best." Arthur canted his head to the side. He wasn't about to start the debate on the damage humans have done to the oceans.

"Honestly? I feel so sorry for everyone else in the galaxy after we achieve mass intergalactic flight system. Like, they can barely handle me, what about the entire human race?" Hal shrugged, the sand in his palm jumped up and down. Arthur smiled knowingly.

"You really love being up there, don't you?"

"I don't want to sound dramatic but it is literally what I was born for. Flying." Hal replied casually but the way he said the last word-- Arthur could sense some seriousness at last. "It's all I've wanted from life and I've got it."

Arthur smiled and stared towards the slowly rolling waves. He knew a thing or two about that sentiment. Being born in one world but yearning for the other.  

"But you keep coming back." He lowered himself on his back so he could stare up at Hal more easily.

"So do you."

"My father was a human."

"Dads, huh?" Hal laughed joylessly but didn't elaborate.

At that point, Arthur didn't know they had similar gravestones calling them back every time they floated too far away from the land that raised them. But he could sense it anyways. A story that wasn't being told even though it seemed to dictate everything he and Hal have ever done in his life. 

"I've decided." Arthur finally said, hoping he didn't sound like he was about to announce a royal decree for his Atlantean court.

"Decided what?" Hal also lowered himself onto the sand, clearly unconcerned about the sand sticking to the fur collar of his pilot jacket. 

"That it wasn't just drunken sad talk at the party."

Hal's eyes widened just a tiny bit and Arthur loved them for it. He even enjoyed the subsequent pleased spark in them.

"See? I told you it was the great hair."

"Oh, yeah." Arthur pretended to agree. 

Hal smiled at him and lightly punched him in the shoulder, which must have been his preferred way to show casual affection. There was real gladness in his face, some sort of light Arthur has never seen before and for whatever reason, he really liked looking at it. Basking in it. 

It started a warmth in him that was better than the glow of the Amazon wine, that's for sure. 

"Alright. You're in for a ride then." Hal looked at the sky above with that same tiny smile that almost looked relieved. Like some sort of prediction he had about himself turned out to be false after all. 

Arthur also smiled. And then tugged him closer to his side. They needed to retract some of their steps, let themselves start small again. But there was no rush and deep down, Arthur was glad that he finally had another reason to come up for air. And he suspected Hal felt the same way about having to touch the ground again. 

"But. We can't let the League know." Hal nested himself against his side with almost too much ease, almost as if he's been thinking about doing so for the last couple of days spent in space. 

"I wasn't going to tell them." 

"It's not that I think you're embarrassing and you're gonna ruin my image--"

"Hm."

"--but I do want to see them try to guess whether this is actually happening or are they seeing things, that's gonna be fucking hilarious."

Arthur just snorted through his nose. Fine, whatever. That mental agreement probably marked the point in time in which he lost the ability to say no to Hal's carefree requests forever. -- as evidenced by the way their third night together concluded. 

Tangled in bed again, stars and waves outside the window.

 


End file.
